Folks it's a repeat of 2009 right before our very eyes! (click here for the story in the Call circa 2009.)
There it was, Fall, 2009 and the incoming City Administrator Mr. James Eckrich proposes that pay perks be handed out to City employees because he recommends a few cuts to make the funds available.
Now we fast forward to fall, 2011 and we have a new City Administrator who came in when Mr. Eckrich asked to be demoted to Public Works director due to? Guess what, there are a few meetings between Mr. Eckrich and Ms. Eastman for the transition which is both needed and normal so she could get the "lay of the land."
This is where it becomes interesting to me though as she then makes almost the exact same request for the bonus / pay raise to the BOA as did Mr. Eckrich just three short years ago. Now as I am not much of a believer in harmonic convergences I wonder where Ms. Eastman could have come up with that idea, Mr. Eckrich perhaps?
At any rate were officially broke so it's probably a very moot point, but still a very interesting one to ponder, no?
Tom Ford
NO. 975
Now we fast forward to fall, 2011 and we have a new City Administrator who came in when Mr. Eckrich asked to be demoted to Public Works director due to? Guess what, there are a few meetings between Mr. Eckrich and Ms. Eastman for the transition which is both needed and normal so she could get the "lay of the land."
This is where it becomes interesting to me though as she then makes almost the exact same request for the bonus / pay raise to the BOA as did Mr. Eckrich just three short years ago. Now as I am not much of a believer in harmonic convergences I wonder where Ms. Eastman could have come up with that idea, Mr. Eckrich perhaps?
At any rate were officially broke so it's probably a very moot point, but still a very interesting one to ponder, no?
Tom Ford
NO. 975
posted by Crestwood Independent at 17:09
18 Comments:
Tom, Jim E. can tell the new CA anything; he can come up with whatever he feels is pertinent for her to know. But a good CA takes all information that is given and has to make up his/her mind if it has merit! In this case, she gave the salary increase a shot and it didn't work. But...that does not mean that she is going to listen to everything she is told and repeat history.
Being in this spot before and with a background in public administration (which Jim did not have) - she should be very capable of coming to solid and rightful decisions based on the welfare of the city.
Crestwood needs to be fine tuned a bit, but has good bones. We have our aches and pains - no question about it. But if the CA doesn't learn that, she will have many obstacles to face down the road. We like Crestwood the way it is but like other cities, we are having a hard time right now. However, we will be watching how issues and decisions are made because we are very protective of it and we will be very vigilant. We have a good mayor and a good board of aldermen and we also have good people on our boards and commissions. They are standing guard and I have my faith in them.
So.....anyhow, I am just saying my view.
Further the math says "nothing from nothing equals nothing". We have no money.
Sandy
One item left out of the article and you have no way of knowing is that Jim took action above his pay grade. The extra money was not his to do with as his pleases and so to with Eastmen's attempt to ram the proposal through. Eastmen and the BOA, as well as Eckrich in the past, failed to follow procedure.
Collusion with Eastmend, Beezley, Duncan and Pickle is not allowed so I am forced to eliminate the good board of aldermen comment.
For these reasons and others I conclude this city shall remain dysfunctional and doomed to failure unless the rules established by our charter committee and the civil service commission are followed.
I CANNOT TRUST A WORD THE BOA AND EASTMEN STATE. PLEASE REMEMBER HER COMMENT REGARDING THE CRITICAL NATURE OF ESTABLISHING A LARGER EMERGENCY FUND. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.
Oh! I didn't know that. Thanks for the explanation. I appreciate it very much. Funny how you get a different picture when you get more information. Well I sure hope that we can get some good people we can rely on to put things in order.
Dr. Brophy likes to compare apples to oranges.
I must really be out of the loop! How did Dr. Brophy get into this conversation. If you are allowed to explain your previous comment, I would like to understand what you mean. Thanks.
When he compares Crestwood senior citizens income to Crestwood employees income he is comparing apples to oranges. Not that I agree with the bonuses that were planned but when an argument is made we should try to use comparable information. I believe our employees do need to have a pay plan in place to receive increase when we can afford it. His comparison makes it look like we should never give them an increase because they make more than our seniors. How many have seniors still owe on their houses, have car payments, or dependents they are responsible for? I'm sure not ever Crestwood employee has those expenses, but you get my point.
Yes I sure do get your point. But Dr. Brophy has always been negative on every issue and it doesn't matter to him how he rationalizes to get his point across. If you ever see him, he always sits, stands and walks with his arms folded in front of him. I don't know a lot about psychology, but a person's stance says a lot. And arms folded shows negativity. So he may be a doctor, but I do feel he doesn't consider the facts before he makes a decision. And every decision or opinion I have heard by him at meetings, it is always negative. I finally just consider the source when he speaks. And I have never seen him smile or laugh t all. He always looks so unhappy! Like I have said before....just my opinion. Thanks
Just a point to ponder please. Dr. David Brophy attends most all, if not all of the meetings and he is well known for making his points known to all in attendance.
Agree or disagree you have to applaud the man for his willingness to come and state his case.
I have yet to see anyone challenge him on the floor of the BOA chambers so I suspect that his views are relevant to those on the Dias.
I for one am happy that he does come to the meetings and that he is willing to state his position for I fear far too many Crestwood Citizens are not for what ever reason.
Tom Ford
We all need to keep in mind that while there have been no wage increases for city employees, the city has picked up the increases in cost of health care insurance for several years for the employees.
So, if you could get a 3% wage increase and have to pay for the 7% increase in your health care insurance, which would you want?
As to Dr. Brophy, his educational accomplishments includes the first development steps of what we know call GPS (in the 1970's no less). I can understand how a persons looks can cause someone to assume something, but I would caution you to not judge a book by it's cover. Next time you see him, introduce yourself to him and engage him in a discussion on his views. It could be very enlightening for both party's.
Dr. Brophy was not comparing apples to oranges. The citizens of Crestwood are the ones who will pay for any increase in the budget of the City. What difference does it make if a tax payer in Crestwood owns their house or car, they still have to reduce their standard of living to support/improve someone else's.
What this debate is showing, is our need for a employee pay plan. Like the one that Roy's administration dropped for some strange reason. Was it perfect, most likely not. But these across the board bandages, where everyone gets the same increase, do not address the largest problem.
That being the weak employee gets the same raise as the strong employee. What motivation is there to excel at your job with this wage increase bandage?
Before the idea of a tax increase to pay for wages increases is put before the voters, and they will have the final say by their vote, the city must:
1. Have a pay plan in place.
2. Publish what the cost the city is paying for health care insurance and retirement VS. what the employees are paying.
Just my thoughts on the subject.
Tim
Well said. The civil service board agreed. They listened to citizens Steve Nieder, David Brophy, and Martha Duchild and agreed that a plan for performance review needs to be installed first. Funding, not guaranteed, will vary with the financial condItions at the time of budget creation.
The previous administration led by Robinson and Eckrich avoided the pay plan structure and created many inequities to numerous to mention here.
I fear Eastmen displays the same broken approach used by Robinson and Eckrich . She and a major portion of the Crestwood BOA fail to see the big picture that Schlinck was
elected to install. Thus far I see no attempt to stabilize the financial condition of Crestwood or create a sustainable position. Just the same old statement of. We need more money because we do not have enough.
It will be interesting to observe how the BOA wiil respond to the recommendation from the citizens of civil service board.
Tom, Tim and Anonymous. I really apologize if I may have judged Dr. Brophy wrong and Tim, I have never spoken to him because he has always looked like a person who is very unapproachable in his demeanor.
However, I do know that he has always been a "constant" at the board meetings which means that he does care and speaks on issues and gives his opinions. So for that, I do very much apologize.
But being a part of the city staff for so many years, I am not a majority of one on the issue of being hesitant to speak with Dr. Brophy.
I know that it isn't right to judge a person, but he postures himself in such a way that the staff at city hall feels the same way. But anyhow I should not have said what I said. I apologize. I made a mistake!
Now, however, what I am really happy about is the fact that everyone seems to be on board with our Civil Service Board and the pay plan. It has been very hard to get everyone on board with this. Don Greer told me that "he was the Civil Service Commission and it was Don's world now"!!!! Thing is, if you hire department heads who are not going to follow the Civil Service Rules, you will never have unity and/or cooperation.
I am very pro Civil Service and feel the same about everyone's concerns regarding the pay plan and giving raises to those that deserve them. It should be that way.
Therefore, it really excites me to hear so many positive remarks about it on this thread.
Again, sorry for "blowing off", please forgive me.
3:58 PM Blogger; Sandy, how could I ever forgive you for your remarks?
Wait, how about you wash the truck for the next eight months? (just kidding!)
This is a BLOG and as such is the "opinion" of the blogger. Never take any of this as gospel as what you have here is just their opinion, nothing more, nothing less.
Tom Ford
Well Tom - if you supply the towels and bucket, I will wash the truck. Thanks for the response Tom; now I can sleep well tonight cause I hate to make anybody upset with my opinions. I will be more careful next time with what I comment on. Happy New Year to you and all the other bloggers.
Again apples to oranges. Not all Crestwood residents are senior citizens. The city is filled with several different demographics. Just like the city employees. I'm sure their are single parents, traditional families, and even those who don't take the cities insurance. To say an increase isn't warranted because the average salary of city staff is greater than the average retiree in Crestwood is the wrong way to go. I agree a pay plan needs to be implemented. I believe this is a little more of the glass is half empty in a time when we all need a little more of the glass is half full.
10:18 PM Blogger: I really don't care what is compared to what here, what we need is a PAY PLAN!
Lets face it Messrs. Robinson and Eckrich blew it when they had a chance to write one and failed to do so.
Ms. Eastman seems to be of the same mold as Mr. Eckrich as she has done nothing (to my knowledge) to start writing one, but rather just asked for a "bonus" for all.
I think all of our employees deserve the common courtesy of knowing just what their job descriptions are, and what the pay grades in those billets are.
I fail to understand why the City Administrator has yet to present the pay plan to the Board for approval. After all she would not have taken the job unless she knew exactly what she was to be paid, and what the chances for a raise were, would she?
Tom Ford
That's right Tom! What was once regarded as a "plus" for employees to have a pay plan, a Civil Service Rules and Regulations Plan and Job Descriptions for each position - was unfortunately - as years progressed - misinterpreted, mishandled, and misguided.
This plan was installed by our first City Administrator, Dale Rieth. Mr. Rieth's rationale was that this new system would protect employees from the cronyisms taking place back in the 1970's. Several - not all - people at the time our new city hall was being built were hired at the whim of some of our elected and appointed officials - whether or not qualified applicants.
To be fair, Dale Rieth wanted "structure" and regulations to be given to the employment system of the city.
Mr. Rieth stated that this plan was OK'ed by the State Civil Service Commission and our BOA. It would eliminate all of the unwarranted discourse of those being hired and/or fired.
Through the years, by neglect, etc. it lost it's way. We always had good people on the Civil Service Board, but when they would make a determination on a case, it was never followed through. I remember speaking with the Chairman of the CSB who was upset because after all the hours of discussion given to a pending case and hours spent by the Board studying this case, their ruling on the case was never even considered. Remember these board people give up their time to help the city. These people were appointed to this very important board because of their knowledge and familiarity with Civil Service and were all great at this job.
However, it did not have the cooperation it needed to keep going. Further, as years past, it was never defended or backed up by our previous city administrator, who hated Personnel issues, and then the burial of the system by Don Greer who wanted to rewrite the whole thing in accordance with his slant put in place - because of his super-intelligence, which far exceeded anyone else's and his new role as "King"????????
I applaud any and all who will try to get this civil service back - like the original. It should be updated and should be nurtured and respected and protected. This is important in order to keep good employees. Just like everything else in life, it needs to be watched over for the sake of keeping good and reliable employees.
That's all from me.
11:44 AM Blogger: Sandy, I can only hope Ms. Eastman sees this message and reacts to it favorably.
If you don't mind I will copy it and send it to her for you.
Tom Ford
OK with me Tom. She can call me if she so desires but that's up to her. She may not agree with me at all I am just stating the facts. She can go back to the BOA minutes in 1972 or 3 and it is all recorded and approved by the mayor and board at that time.
I know right now we don't have any money to give raises; but they can at least get the employees a review of their work and work ethic, rather than wait to do the preliminary work later.
As of right now, there should be a hiring freeze imposed if we are short on money. Also, when it is budget time, the department heads may have to eliminate raises that are due for employees who are suppose to be getting raises for the coming fiscal year.
However, that said, they should still be given a review by their supervisors so the employees know and understand if their work has been acceptable. If the supervisors do follow through with at least that much, the employees will understand that they are important and not forgotten plus are worthy of getting a review of their work.
Department heads and supervisors should hold meetings with their employees and explain that the money for raises is not available in this fiscal year but they will still be reviewed. Lack of communication to workers at this particular time when things are not going well for this Country, only leads them to believe that the City really doesn't care. Hence, the good ones will start looking elsewhere. There is nothing worse than giving workers the idea that they are not being appreciated.
Anyhow, that's my take.
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